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My Wedding In The Country

At the end of this post, please share your special-meaning-home-decor in the comments.

When I was asked by Folgers to write three sponsored posts for "The Best Part" campaign I immediately began relating this concept to home decor. Whether I'm working on a project for myself or a client, the best part of designing is when I get to incorporate something with special meaning.

I think having elements in our home that remind us of the peaks in our lives, somehow helps us through the valleys.

Every fall, I decorate our front porch with pumpkins, mums, cornstalks and a special fall wreath. The wreath is not only pretty, but it has a lot of meaning to my husband, Mike and I. It was made by my mom out of dried flowers from our wedding.

Fourteen years ago we were married in the church Mike grew up attending. The reception was held at my parents home in the country, where I grew up.

It was a beautiful fall day. Mother nature provided the inspiration for our reception decor.

Guests were greeted at the entrance with a fall display created by my Mother and Grandmother.
{My passion for art, home and design was inherited}.

The welcome sign was hand painted by my Aunt, folk artist MShaw. It's two sided, the other side can be seen in my fall porch display from last year.

Simple white twinkle lights were placed in the trees and in each window of the house.

The house my dad built and I grew up in.

Sharing these photos on my blog was a hard concept for me to swallow...at first.

These photos are personal and not easy for me to put "out there".

To others, these may look like any other wedding day photos. But to me these pictures hold so many memories. Not only of this special day, but also of my life leading up to that day.

Like this photo of my wedding party...walking through the yard I played in as a child.

Our friends, having fun with our fall themed"decor".

Guests, some of whom are no longer with us, enjoying my parents gardens. The ones we grumbled about weeding when we were young but appreciated that day.

The photographer shooting our wedding album under the apple trees named after my siblings and I when they were first planted.

I warmed up to the idea of sharing these photos to prove my own theory. The best part of putting your personal stuff out there, is the way it makesyou feel.

14 years later...here is our wedding-flower-wreath on our front door. To others, it looks like any other fall wreath. But to Mike and I, it represents everything I just shared about our wedding day.

Every fall, I put it here. Despite exposure to the elements year after year, it hasn't faded.

I joke by saying that it is a sign that our love was meant to last, just like our wedding-flower-wreath.

Truth is, I'm not really joking.

Now, it's your turn. What do you have on display in/outside your home that has special meaning? Please share in the comments.

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31 comments:

Thanks for sharing your wedding pictures with us. I understand about putting your "personal" stuff out there, but, the truth is, you do it all the time. Your home designs tell us who you are and, as you can tell, you are much loved!

I have my Dad's black CAT ball cap - he died suddenly on May 10, 2002 and I had given him the hat when I was working at Caterpillar, Inc. He wore that hat all the time. It is on the the sofa table in our hallway on top of a dried flower arrangement. I will ALWAYS display that hat as it is another reminder of my Dad.

Thank you for sharing. In our bedroom I have black and white photos that my father in law took while stationed in Germany. They are of churches, a tree, interesting buildings, etc.. I had them blown up and put in nice frames. He is no longer with us, so it is nice to have something of him that we see everyday.

Wow! What a beautiful wedding. Filled with such loving memories. Small treasures of the lives we lead placed throughout our homes is a beautiful thing.Bt the way, your front porch is the most sensational burst of wonderful. Love it!Sharon@novaraway

Thank you for sharing. What a wonderful day you had! Just beautiful!!! When I first saw the wreath, (before reading your caption) I immediately thought..."How gorgeous and where can I get that!" Thanks again for this blog and for all that you put on your blog. I check it out often and get so inspired. Kelli (A Michigan girl also!)

Our military life has had us all over the world. Our home is filled with artwork from all of those countries we visited. Each one has a story...it's our family history and it's nice to have something consistent even when the place they hang never is!

We have a large, eclectic cross wall in our home with crosses that have been given to us by friends and family. On the back of each, I've written who gave them to us and the year. The most prized is a cross that my husband and I purchased in Haiti the first year we went to do mission work for our church's twinning parish. It's the only one we've ever purchased ourselves, but it reminds us of all the friends and smiles we received in our ten days in the mountains of Haiti. I know some people are not as comfortable with displaying crosses in their home, but that makes up who we are as a family. Each tells a story of its own special meaning.Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures! BetsyWest of the Square Designs

Thank you for sharing the meaning behind the beautiful wreath. In our family room I have a glass jar filled with shells. I can remember it sitting on my dad's desk as a child and he'd explain how each shell had a story and a memory attached. He died when I was in my early twenties and now when we're near a beach my kids find a special shell to add to "Grandpa's jar". He never got to meet my boys but I love how it's made him alive to them.

My Daughter too celebrated her wedding at the home we built and a reception then at another venue........... Her coming down the staircase was a vision I will always treasure..It was a beautiful July day as she walked out of the 12" sliding glass doors with her twin brothers helping her and her flowing dress across the deck and down the hill to be married in our backyard. She stopped at the bottom to pick up her father to walk her down the aisle. Her father had just been released from the hospital the day before. He was in the hospital for 3 wks before the wedding after an aortic aneurysm burst. He was very lucky to be alive and be there. I have the most beautiful photographs from that day. Five years later my Daughter passed away from Hodgkin’s disease. She had the beautiful wedding she always dreamed of and I am glad for that. Your wedding looks just as lovely and I am sure there were many wonderful memories of your childhood like my Daughter had at her wedding.

D, thank you for sharing. What a beautiful memory you have of your daughter. It sounds like an amazing day for you, for her and the rest of your family. I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure the photographs are as beautiful as your description. xo Sarah

Loved this. As I was reading this post I was mentally recalling all of the things I have displayed as decor: a brick from the sidewalk where I lived as a child, a finial from a light from my church that I salvaged before they tore the church down, a walking stick my dad carved from a piece of wood even though he passed away suddenly before he ever had to use it, my 16-year-old daughter's self portrait at age 3 with "yellow hair", a flag that was flown over Camp Fallujah Iraq when my husband was deployed in 2006, license plates from all the states we've lived displayed in my boys' room. I finished the article and looked up to see a big piece of driftwood on my mantle. I picked that driftwood out of the Potomac River in Quantico VA. We had been evacuated off Long Island after Super Storm Sandy last year and were in Virginia waiting for our power to be restored. It was a horrible experience, but I'll never forget what a beautiful afternoon it was that day and how excited I was to come across this piece of wood. I stuffed it in the back of the SUV on top of all of our most prized (evacuated) possessions. We're a military family away from "home", but the more memories I display, the less lonely we feel. Thanks for such a great post, as always.

OMG your wedding was beautiful. Maybe your family should think about becoming wedding planners because they did a wonderful job. I have flowers from our son's wedding a year ago. Ours would have withered with age because we just celebrated 42 years. I am a Justice of the Peace so I have seen a lot of weddings. Your wedding was terrific and I thank you for sharing.

Thank you for so generously sharing your wedding with us. It was so beautiful and truly meaningful to you and that is apparent. I used to decorate outdoors but stopped when a ceramic bunny my mother-in-law made for us was stolen by a door-to-door flyer distributor for a free community newspaper. Since then, I am reluctant to place anything outdoors that has value to it.

I adore the idea of decorating using sentimental pieces. Actually our home is full of them a few to name are our middle sons first pair of red leather and brown suede cowboy boots. They are tiny and worn but when I walk by the shelf they are on I remember his little self wearing them non stop even with his shorts. We have my Dad's straw had he wore working outside. Its on a table in our living room proudly displayed dirt and all. He passed away 12 weeks ago. Lastly, I asked my husband to make seating out of a baby bed that all 3 of our littles slept in. He did paint it but you can still see and feel their teeth marks on the side rail! Those things are all precious to us and someone that may see them may wonder but in my opinion that's what makes a house a home.

What a lovely post - thank you for sharing something so personal. I have little knick-knacks all over my home given to me by family and friends - they're only small but they have been with me in every house I've lived in starting from childhood. I also am homesick for my "home" New Zealand, so I am in the middle of decorating my powder room in a NZ theme with all my little kiwi treasures!

Your pictures totally took me back to that day. I could replay your whole reception in my head. I remember what a beautiful day it was and how we drove there in our vintage convertible. The setting was gorgeous and you and Mike made the most beautiful couple. I especially remember the dresser your mom had decorated with items from your childhood it was so special and I can see that tradition has continued in your home. It was truly the most perfect day. I am so happy you shared it again.